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Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoAllison Manning | DispatchA homeowner on the Far West Side set up a security system with clearly visible cameras and signs declaring the house is under 24-hour surveillance.

Next time you knock on your neighbor’s door, say cheese. You might be on camera.

More homeowners are beefing up their security systems with video surveillance to catch burglars,
monitor deliveries and keep track of their families. A.J. McPherson, owner of McPherson Connected
Systems, said 10 to 20 percent of the homes he outfits with electronic controls include video
surveillance.

“Sometimes, it’s just to keep an eye on stuff,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s just for the safety of
the family. Otherwise, it’s to keep an eye on the comings and goings of the house.”

A few recent criminal investigations included home-surveillance video as evidence.

A burglar on the West Side had his bad deed captured by a $100 camera typically used by hunters
to track game. The homeowner hung the camera in a tree in December after a police officer suggested
it to the area block watch.

The image captured during the March 20 burglary was so good that the detective on the case sent
it to West Side patrol officers, who identified and arrested Adam Sherry, 23, on Monday. He is now
facing a burglary charge.

“This camera is worth its weight in gold,” said Jon McVay, 28, who lives in the Binns Boulevard
home.

Last month, on the Far West Side, a resident with several cameras caught on tape a possible
suspect in the attempted abduction of an 11-year-old boy. The boy was walking to his bus stop on
the morning of March 21 when a man grabbed him, he told police.

A man matching the description of the assailant was seen on the neighbor’s video. The grainy
footage was distributed by Columbus police, but no one has been identified.

“It was just one of those deals that was a shot in the dark,” detective Lolita Perryman said. “
We aired it in hopes we’d get someone.”

Coming across footage of a crime at a residence doesn’t happen often, said Sgt. Greg Hoyle, a
burglary-squad supervisor. Of more than 29,000 theft and burglary reports last year, only about a
dozen had home-surveillance video as evidence.

A good video image can point to a known suspect or place someone at a scene, Hoyle said. But the
quality of many surveillance systems is poor, and the images are often blurry.

“Unless you have super-good, high-quality, high-definition video that gives us a really good
picture that you can get out there, you basically have video of someone breaking into your
property,” Hoyle said.

In a case in Whitehall last month, a woman was shot in a house that had surveillance cameras
trained on the entryway. Two people were arrested. The woman survived.

Sgt. Dan Kelso wouldn’t comment on whether the cameras caught anything useful, saying the case
was still under investigation. But he pointed out that police usually encounter home-surveillance
cameras in places where nefarious activity is going on, and that was the case in this shooting,
believed to be drug-related.

McPherson said the cost of a professionally installed video system can run from $300 to $5,000.
Homeowners can view the footage remotely, from a laptop or smartphone, to check on deliveries or
monitor a baby sitter.

“They’ve got peace of mind that they can remotely look in,” he said. “They don’t feel they’re
detached from their home.”

The Far West Side man who might have caught the attempted-abduction suspect on camera said he
set up his system about seven years ago after seeing a television show about home-security
vulnerabilities.

He would not give his name, saying he wanted to protect his privacy, but he made it clear that
he’s watching his neighborhood, with clearly visible cameras and signs declaring the house is under
24-hour surveillance.

He said he has seen drug deals, break-ins and other suspicious activities late at night.

He said he often tells police about what he sees or records, but he wasn’t sure if any arrests
had been made.

“With all of today’s technology, I don’t know why everyone doesn’t have cameras,” he said. “If
they did, people wouldn’t get away with nothing.”